Pages

Monday, April 11, 2016

Coke's Clown by BA Tortuga

How does Dillon take care of Coke when Coke’s destroying
himself?

Bullfighter Coke is having a rough time in the Roughstock universe.

When his dear friend Sam Bell is injured at the finals of the bull riding season,
he takes that and his injuries pretty hard. His very own clown, Dillon, is
determined to take care of Coke, which is tough when Coke is usually the one to
care for everyone.

Coke has a huge secret from his past, though, and, when Dillon digs to discover
what it is, the skeletons in Coke’s closet threaten to destroy both men.

Publisher's Note: This book has been previously released elsewhere. It have
been revised, re-edited and significantly expanded for re-release with Pride
Publishing.

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
I have read all the books in the series to date, and found this to be at quite
a different tempo. It is set in the off season, with everyone recovering from
an exhausting run, and a lot of pain. Sam in particular, has suffered a
catastrophic head injury.

Coke, perceived by all to be the fixer and person who takes on all their
problems, is hurting too, and utterly shattered. Dillon, his lover determines
that he must get Coke away from the gang and give him some recovery time. It is
great to see these two getting some time for themselves and growing together –
but a mystery remains. Dillon is desperate to understand, but despite being
warned off, he continues to press. As that unfolds we also get to see other
members of the Roughstock team that we have met in previous books, and get
updates on their progress too.

Ms. Tortuga has an amazing ability to control the pace of the story by the
speed at which the people speak – which sounds crazy given it is me reading –
they drop words and don't finish sentences when in a hurry, or seemingly drawl
when relaxed. It is rare to be able to get that level of inflexion into the
written word. I also loved the puppies (and notice that in the author bio, bassets
are also mentioned), and the love that was between them and their owners –
reassuring and rewarding.

Looking forward to reading the next in the series soon.

Angela – ☆☆☆☆☆
Wow! Wow, oh wow, oh wow! I’m a tad bit flabbergasted, not quite speechless,
but certainly don’t know where to begin. Coke’s
Clown returns the focus back to Coke and Dillon’s relationship and it turns
out to be one heck of a ride. Let me start by saying that I so very much
appreciate that Tortuga didn’t treat And
a Smile as Coke and Dillon’s happily ever after. Granted, this is an
ongoing series about a small group of rodeo men, but even then it’s rare for a
series to return to a couple whose relationship has already been the focus of
an installment. Yet the author has taken the opportunity to give the reader a
look into the growing relationship between Coke and Dillon after they finished
out the current circuit and head out for the holidays. Being as these two men
may very well be my favorite couple introduced so far in the Roughstock series,
I was not at all put out by the chance to spend more time with them.

I suspect that one of the reasons I love Dillon so much is that those around
him regularly underestimate him due to his size, which means he’s constantly
proving that good things come in small packages. And when it comes to taking
care of Coke, there is no bigger force to reckon with than Dillon Walsh. Dillon’s
affable and good natured personality take a back seat several times in Coke’s Clown when he feels as though
people are asking too much from Coke at a time when he needs to be resting and
recuperating from work and the emotional side effects of so many close friends
being injured. By commandeering Coke and Coke’s cell phone, Dillon set out to
give the man he loves the chance to catch up on some long-overdue rest. I
enjoyed watching Coke gradually relax as he spent the time leading up to
Christmas at Dillon’s home in Idaho, just the two of them and a hot tub. With
Coke being the man everyone looks to to take care of things, it was nice to see
someone (Dillon) taking care of Coke. Unfortunately, a call from A.J. has the
men cutting their stay short and heading south a few days sooner than planned –
but that’s what family does for one another, blood kin or not – and the rest of
their tight knit group also descends upon A.J.’s homestead to help out.

We do learn that Dillon can be an extremely persistent man when his curiosity
is triggered. Unfortunately, his curiosity regarding Coke’s past opens some old
and ugly wounds that send Coke running when he thinks Dillon has learned all of
his secrets. I have to say that my heart broke for Coke as he told Dillon about
his past – and I was beyond angry when his “secret shame” was revealed.
Honestly, I wanted to punch something, so I had no problem imagining how mad
Dillon was. Even though I had no doubt – okay, very little doubt – that the men
would work everything out between them, I wasn’t sure if it would occur in this
installment. Thankfully it did and we not only have the promise of continued
good things for Coke and Dillon, but we also got to catch up with Jason and Bax
to see how Jase is doing. I, for one, cannot wait for the next book because I’m
excited about the possibility of returning to Jason and Bax’s story. Coke’s Clown was an excellent addition
to the Roughstock series, perhaps my favorite so far, and I look forward to
having its spot usurped by new installments in the series.

Texan to the bone and an unrepentant Daddy's Girl, BA spends her days with her
basset hounds, getting tattooed, texting her sisters, and eating Mexican food.
When she's not doing that, she's writing. She spends her days off watching
rodeo, knitting and surfing Pinterest in the name of research. BA's personal
saviors include her wife, Julia, her best friend, Sean, and coffee. Lots of
good coffee.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Get our review newsletter delivered to your inbox.

Love Young Adult Books?

The Wicked Reads: YA Edition blog has launched. The WR-YA blog will contain the same YA posts that appear on Wicked Reads, but it's safe to let the Young Adults in your life visit because there will be no adult content.